Diamond & Pearl Rings

Monday, July 02, 2018

A pearl has long been a treasured symbol of innocence as well as purity, and is a highly sought-after gemstone. The fact that pearls are derived from a natural source makes quality pearls even more special and valuable. These gems are commonly made into a variety of pieces, from pearl bracelets and pearl earrings to many other types of pearl jewelry.

If you are considering buying pearls for someone you love, or even for yourself, you might be wondering about the actual value of pearls themselves - how much should you pay for a pearl item? Which types of pearls are more valuable? This is a valid concern as pearls can really run the gamut when it comes to price. Even what may seem like small details can affect the price of a pearl or pearl item.

What Affects Pearl Pricing?

There are a surprising number of traits that can affect the pricing of a pearl. Potential buyers should be aware of all of these as they set out to make their purchase.

Pearl Types

One of the most important details that will affect pearl pricing is the variety of pearl for sale. At the most basic level, there are two main types: saltwater pearls and freshwater pearls.

Saltwater pearls are considered to be the more valuable of these two pearl types. This is, quite simply, because saltwater pearls are much rarer than the freshwater variety. A freshwater oyster can produce 30 to 40 pearls in a season; however, a saltwater oyster is only able to produce 1 or 2 pearls.

Saltwater pearls are further classified according to the area in which they were produced. Some of the most common include South Sea pearls, Akoya pearls, and Tahitian pearls. Each variety is known for having different qualities.

Pearl Type

Description of Pearl

Mabe

Mabe pearls are popular because of their uniqueness. They are semi-spherical and are available in several colors. These pearls usually have a flat shape and are even called "flat pearls."

Cortez

Cortez pearls are unique cultured pearls due to their color, which no matter what shade the pearl is, gives off a rainbow of color.

Tahitian

Also known as a black pearl, these pearls are formed inside of the black-lipped oyster and are exported from French Polynesia.

Akoya

Most Akoya pearls are from China or Japan and are generally white or cream in color, though it is possible to find darker shades.

South Sea

South Sea pearls are usually the largest pearls and are white, gold, or cream in color.

Pearl Size

You will also find that the size of the pearl, regardless of whether it is a freshwater pearl or saltwater pearl, will also affect its pricing. The larger the pearl, the more expensive it will be - at least in most cases. Keep in mind that the rarity of a particular pearl can make it more valuable, even if it is on the smaller side.

Probably the most famous and coveted of all pearls are the black pearls. They are cultured from the oyster Pinctada Margaritifera, the black lipped oyster, from which they get their name. The black pearl is found in the South Sea ocean surrounding French Polynesia (Tahiti) and The Cook Islands. These pearls typically range in size from 7mm to 15mm but can be as large as 20mm (though these pearls are very rare).

Black pearls are not black at all but come in a variety of colors. A true "black" black pearl is a rarity since even the black colors have varying shades of grey, blue, purple, green, and rose. The body color is always enriched by at least one other overtone and many undertones.

Body colors are black, blue, grey, green, and brown. Overtone colors consist of pink, blue, gold, red, grey, and reddish-purple. When these overtones present in a variety of combinations along with the body color, they produce a truly expensive pearl called a fancy color black pearl. The following is a partial list and definition of those colors:

Peacock pearl: green, blue, purple overtones with a black body.

Aubergine pearl: purple and red with a black body.

Champagne pearl: gold with a grey body.

Lavender pearl: blue, red, grey with a grey body.

Pistachio pearl: green, grey with a grey body.

Oil slick pearl: green, blue, gold, grey with a black body.

Through most of the seventies and early eighties, black pearls where relatively unknown by the common person. That changed in the mid eighties when Elizabeth Taylor began a perfume campaign extolling the perfume's exclusivity by associating it with the black pearl.

This catapulted the black pearl to fame among the average individual. Suddenly, these pearls became very popular and pearl farmers struggled to keep up with demand.

However, by the late 1990's the market started to get saturated with black pearls as the grafting process began to be perfected and many Tahitians and investors turned to pearl farming. A significant quantity of these pearls were considered poor quality and the cost of the black pearl began to go down.

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Until people were able to culture or counterfeit them, pearls once outshone diamonds as the most valuable gems. Today, real and imitation pearls are affordable enough to use as accents on crafts, fashion jewelry, and embroidery projects as well as in fine jewelry. The selection of pearls online includes everything from vintage jewelry to pearl beads ready for stringing into new pieces.

Pearls come from oysters or mussels, so unlike other gems, they are a renewable resource. Most mollusks form pearls, but only those from certain species of oysters and mussels have the luster and iridescence that makes them valuable.

The soft-bodied creatures cannot escape from irritants that find their way into the animals' shells, so they protect themselves by coating the offending item with layers of nacre, the substance that gives pearls their lustrous shine.

When pearls could be cultured, their value took a precipitous drop. With improvements in imitation glass and plastic pearls, the genuine gems dipped in value again. Pearls and pearly materials have become affordable enough to use as everyday jewelry and even decorative items.

Types of Pearls

Until the 20th century, pearls could not be cultivated and occurred naturally, which meant that pearls were quite rare. Divers in pearl-producing regions brought up and opened hundreds of oysters to find a single pearl, and the pearls produced were not always the round and luminous gems suitable for jewelry. Almost all pearls today are cultured.

Pearl makers do not always agree on the terminology of their products. Some trade names mean different things to different companies, and a few are hotly debated. When buying pearls online, consider the quality of the pearl instead of focusing on the trade name.

Natural Pearls

True natural pearls are made entirely of nacre and can cost thousands of dollars per pearl for large, round gems with good color.

They occur randomly in pearl-producing species of oysters, so matching them for a pair of earrings or a whole strand can take a jeweler years of effort. Genuine natural pearl strands are almost impossible to find new, and vintage strands can cost millions.

Monday, June 11, 2018

There are many Canadian jewelry designers that you can study and find out if they make something you like. Some use glass, wood, or even metal to make their authentic pieces. Some of the jewelry designers are from all over Canada. Some provinces represented here are Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. They use many of the things found in nature to create some of their special pieces. Some are so unique they are one of a kind pieces. No two earrings may be the same depending on what kind of medium is used to make them.

Starting out in Ontario, you will find many female artisans doing delightful pieces. Earrings, necklaces and bracelets are crafted with much care from gold, silver, crystals, and semi-precious stones. Some of the other Canadian jewelry designers use whimsy and fantasy in their jewelry. They use many colors from the spectrum to blend and contrast for a varied look. Some of these jewelry designers located in Ontario believe that their jewelry should create a story of some kind for the wearer.

In British Columbia, the Canadian jewelry designers use graphite, watercolors and ceramics in their pieces. Some use metal and wood. Glass beads and costume jewelry with huge stones are quite popular today. Some also like to use enamel and silver in their own pieces.

In Alberta, some of the jewelry designers in Canada also use silver in their creations. Some artisans like to use bone or antlers to carve intricate pieces of jewelry. Embroidery designs are quite popular as well with some Canadian people. Still others like gemstones and symbolic designs in their jewelry pieces.

Thursday, June 07, 2018

Northeastern Fine Jewelry opened its doors in 1980 as a coin shop. Just five years later, the business incorporated and became the jewelry store it is today.

Their aim is to provide the very best in jewelry to everyone in the Northeastern area. They give equal treatment to every customer from the smallest budget to the customers who spare no expense.

They want every customer to be treated like royalty and to purchase jewelry that is fit for royalty as well. Based upon that creed, they have become the highest volume jeweler in the area. They now have three locations in upstate New York and one location in Vermont.

The designer jewelers at Northeastern Fine Jewelry include more than fifty of the top designers. Mikimoto, Hearts on Fire, Judith Ripka, Favero, Scott Kay, and Tacori name just a few of the designers represented at Northeastern.

They also offer designer watches by Cartier, Citizen, Tissot, and Michele among others. Between the four Northeastern stores, 64 designers are represented. Not all designers are available at every store. It is best to check the collections available at each store before making a trip there.